Buckling up: It's your choice, it's your life

Posted: Thursday, April 05, 2007

It is that time of year again. Students are busy preparing for spring proms all across the country. As usual, teens will be bombarded with messages about not drinking and driving and enjoying a safe prom. While this message can never be broadcast too much, I often wonder why these messages are deemed so much more important at this time. Young people make unsafe decisions all year long, just like adults do. I wonder why anyone, at any age, drives intoxicated. Granted, intoxicated people seldom make good decisions, so obviously they are simply not thinking straight.

The one decision that disheartens me the most is how often people, either in haste or for convenience, do not buckle up. They make this decision completely sober. It seems simple enough, buckle the belt and then take off. I have a rule in my car, you don't buckle up, we don't go anywhere. All my friends know that after their first ride with me. Is it because I am some tyrant dictator that wants to control all those who enter the realm of my vehicle? No, it is because if they are in my vehicle, they are special to me and I do not want anything to happen to them. It seems like a small task to keep us as safe as possible, if we are unfortunate enough to be in an accident.

I think young people may be less likely to buckle up because they feel invincible. They think they are so young nothing can happen to them. But it only takes a second. I have a class where one friend and I always study together before a test. I make the study guide and he always wants to take me to dinner to reciprocate. The first time we got in his truck, he proceeded to tell me he would turn the seat belts off so we did not have to listen to the ringing. Of course, I gave him the disappointed look and said, "You don't wear your seat belt?" Being the polite guy that he is, he started wearing his seat belt. Now, I can't guarantee that he wears it all the time, so I am going to remind him how his mom, dad, brother and sister would feel if he were injured or worse because he simply hurried out, without strapping in.

I have another friend with the same problem. He loves to be free to lean out the window to acknowledge you when passing by, especially when he is in the passenger seat. Now, cute as he may be doing this, I become quite fearful. What if the door opens while he is hanging out the window? What if someone hits them? I really wish I could get through to him that cute or not, he won't feel so good wrapped up in bandages.

Just this week another guy friend and I were working on a paper. We took a break to head to a local restaurant and sure enough, he did not buckle up. Of course, I had to again break out my astonished look with, "You don't buckle up?" Of course, he responded with, "I don't like to be restrained." Still he buckled up and we had dinner.

For some reason, my girlfriends have not had this problem as much. They get in the car several times a week and we all buckle up without a word. I think guys in their tough, macho world don't want to feel restrained. Maybe they want to feel like the good guy in the movies who can be invincible everyday. We all like to be free and unrestrained and we all feel invincible, but we need to recognize the importance of safety precautions.

Maybe it is the way I was raised. I can remember as a small child, jumping in my car seat and being able to pull the strap down. My mom or dad would reach back and when the buckle was clicked, we would take off. It took only a few seconds and while it could not prevent an accident, it still offered some insurance should one happen.

If you don't think a seatbelt can make all the difference, ask any EMT that has ever worked an accident where the victim forgot to buckle up. Ask them would the outcome have been different if they had used a few seconds to strap in. Ask a police officer that had to notify the next of kin. Then think about your loved ones-parents, siblings, significant others, friends-and ask yourself if you really want to put them through that should you be in an accident. There are no guarantees, but you can buckle up and give yourself a chance, should the worst occur.